Wellness Foods Europe Antioxidants
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Safe, cost effective and discrete: A new
route to male fertility
Recent studies unveil new approaches to the
treatment of male infertility: supplementation with
Ubiquinol results in improved semen quality
Across all cultures and social classes, infertility is an issue that no-one really wants to talk
about and which is loaded with shame, helplessness and, in some cultures, even social
discrimination. In about 30 to 40 per cent of
cases, the unfulfilled wish to have children is
attributable to a problem with the male partner. Indeed, around 8 per cent of men of reproductive age seek help for fertility problems. One of the most common causes of
male infertility is poor sperm quality: it may
be malformed, not agile enough or produced
in insufficient quantity. Unfortunately, poor
4 | Wellness Foods Europe – June 2013
sperm quality is a problem that may increase
in future, as it is known that male sperm
counts decline under the influence of environmental factors such as pesticides, heavy
metals and exogenous estrogens. But despite
great advances in the field of infertility, many
cases of male infertility are diagnosed as idio­
pathic (i. e. of unknown cause) and remain
untreated. And only a few couples manage to
achieve successful pregnancy with the aid of
advanced assisted reproduction technology
(ART) because this therapy is costly, stressful
and not always effective.
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Ubiquinol: the power of life > Two recent studies give reason to hope, however,
that there is a new route to less complica­
ted methods of treatment for male infertility.
Supplementation with a naturally occurring
substance called Ubiquinol, the active form
of coenzyme Q10, may be the key. Ubiquinol
is more bioavailable than Q10 and is easier
for the body to use. The vitamin-like nutrient acts as an important electron transmitter
in the respiratory chain inside mitochondrial
cells, which produces more than 95 percent
of the body’s energy. As one of its basic components, the amount of Ubiquinol available
is directly linked to the speed of the respiratory chain. In addition, Ubiquinol is the most
powerful lipid-soluble antioxidant known to
man, and it protects cells and their membrane
phospholipids, nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA from free radical damage and oxi­
dative stress. It is well documented that any
impairment in the availability of Ubiquinol
causes serious problems for mitochondrial
bioenergetics, gene regulation and ageing. In
terms of male fertility, large amounts of mitochondria are present in spermatozoa, and it is
known that sperm motility requires a high degree of energy expenditure. Better membrane
protection against oxidative stress could also
help to preserve sperm integrity.1
Focus on fertility > Professor of Urology
Mohammad Reza Safarinejad executed a
series of clinical studies looking at idiopa­
thic male factor infertility. His first investigations were conducted with coenzyme Q10.2
A total of 212 infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT) were
randomly assigned to receive 300 mg coenzyme Q10 orally daily or a similar placebo
regimen for 26 weeks, followed by a 30week treatment-free phase. Semen and blood
analy­ses were carried out in all participants
at the beginning and at the end of treatment.
The results showed that semen parameters
improved in terms of sperm count, motility
and morpholo­gy. By the end of the treatment
phase, the mean acrosome reaction had increased from 14 per cent to 31 per cent in
the coenzyme Q10 group. The acrosome reaction is an important parameter of male fertility and serves as a rule for the insemination
ability of sperm cells. The coenzyme Q10
group also had a significant decrease in serum follicle stimulating (FSH) hormone and
luteinising (LH) hormone during the 26-week
treatment phase. FSH and LH stimulate production of estrogen. Thus, having high levels
of these hormones is counterproductive for
optimum male fertility.
It would appear, however, that study outcomes based only on improvement in semen
values do not cover the issue of male infertility in its entirety. It is likely that a more
accurate outcome measure would be the
pregnancy rate, since this is the ultimate
goal of infertility treatment. Thus, Professor
Safarinejad exa­mined the effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on the partner
pregnancy rate.3 In this study, 287 infertile
men with idiopathic OAT were treated orally with 300 mg coenzyme Q10 twice a day
for 12 months. Again, blood tests confirmed
a significant improvement in semen quality.
Patients were followed up for another 12
Photo©: Kaneka
June 2013 – Wellness Foods Europe | 5
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months after coenzyme Q10 discontinuation. It was found that 34.1 per cent of the
women got pregnant during the study period.
Compared to the crude 12-month cumulative
spontaneous pregnancy rate of 6.4 per cent
on the waiting list for male subfertility patients, this is a remarkable increase and might
not have been achieved if these patients had
been left untreated.
These results are promising. But they do
not explain exactly how supplementation
with Ubiquinol instead of coenzyme Q10 affects the findings.
As the active form of coenzyme Q10,
Ubiquinol is composed of two more hydrogen atoms than its precursor. It is this difference in molecular structure that is responsible for Ubiquinol’s superior bioavailability
compared with coenzyme Q10, as it does not
have to be converted into its active form before it can be used by the body. Ubiquinol
also becomes effective more rapidly. It is relatively new in supplement form because it was
previously impossible to isolate the substance
for use in useful applications. When exposed
to air, the white Ubiquinol powder imme­
diately oxidises and turns into the orange
Q10. However, after more than ten years of
research, the Japanese company Kaneka succeeded in developing the world’s first stable,
6 | Wellness Foods Europe – June 2013
bio-identical Ubiquinol. This patented ingredient is marketed under the brand name
Kaneka QH™, and is produced via a natural
yeast fermentation process.
Two further studies have examined
these advantages and analysed the effects
of Ubiquinol supplementation on male
infertility.
In a virtual repeat of his first study arrangement,4 Dr Safarinejad carried out a doubleblind, placebo controlled, randomised study
in which a total of 228 men aged between
25 and 44 years with unexplained infertility were randomly assigned into two groups.
The first group received 200 mg Ubiquinol
for 26 weeks, while the second group received a similar regimen of placebo. A 12week off-treatment period then followed for
both groups. Compared with the previous
study, Ubiquinol was found to be more effective than Q10 in improving sperm count and
motility. Sperm density increased more than
2.5-fold with Ubiquinol compared with conventional Q10. Dr Safarinejad pointed out
that oxidative stress is a primary influencing factor for male infertility, and he also reaffirmed findings of other scientists that oxi­
dative stress causes a decline in the ratio of
Ubiquinol to CoQ10 in the body.
Another fertility study offered a similar,
positive outcome.5 Dr A.S. Thakur investigated Ubiquinol supplementation in 20 male
subjects aged between 20 and 40 years with
reduced fertility status. After four months of
supplementation with 150 mg Ubiquinol a
day, the total sperm count increased by 53
per cent and total sperm mobility improved
by 26 per cent. In further analysis of sperm
mobility, the quantity of rapidly motile sperm
(RMS) increased to 41 per cent, while the
number of sluggishly motile sperm (SMS) decreased to 29 per cent. The scientists hypothesized that their favourable findings could be
attributed to Ubiquinol’s protection of testi­
cular cells against oxidative stress, a theory in
line with Dr Safarinejad’s study.
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ty products. Common application forms include soft gel capsules, gel pellets and sticks,
all of which are easy to take and attractive to
consumers.
Mancini, A., Balercia, G.: “Coenzyme Q10
in male infertility”, 7th Conference of the International Coenzyme Q10 Association. Seville, Spain. November 8–11, pp. 59–60
(2012).
2
Mohammad Reza Safarinejad: “Efficacy of
coenzyme Q10 on semen parameters, sperm
function and reproductive hormones in infertile men” The Journal of Urology, Vol. 182,
237-248 (July 2009).
3
Mohammad Reza Safarinejad: “The effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on
partner pregnancy rate in infertile men with
idiopathic
oligoasthenoteratozoospermia:
an open-label prospective study” Springer
Science+Business Media, published online,
13th Nov (2011).
4
Mohammad Reza Safarinejad, et al.: “Effects of the reduced form of Coenzyme Q10
(Ubiquinol) on semen parameters in men
with idiopathic infertility: a double-blind,
placebo controlled, randomized study” The
Journal of Urology, Vol. 188 (August 2012).
5
Thakur, A.S., et al.: “Ubiquinol therapy:
Sperm parameters and testosterone Level” 7th
Conference of the International Coenzyme
Q10 Association. Seville, Spain. November
8–11 (2012).
1
Photo©: Kaneka
Huge demand – multiple benefits > With these
studies, the clinical usefulness of Ubiquinol
administration in the treatment of male factor infertility has been well documented.
Ubiquinol may improve semen quality, and
this opens up many possible advantages
for those who are affected by male infertility. First of all, treatment with Ubiquinol is
completely safe. The natural micronutrient
has been thoroughly and scientifically tested
and has no side effects. During treatment, no
medical or surgical intervention is necessary
and the therapy is discrete and cost-effective. This, in particular, may be relevant for
Ubiquinol’s use in developing or underdeveloped communities where the problem
of infertility is often treated with social ostracism and prejudices. But wherever they may
be in the world, those affected by fertility issues are generally open to new therapies that
may put an end to their psychological stress.
For manufacturers of food supplements,
there is great market potential, and a huge
variety of products targeting fertility are possible. Ubiquinol can be used in a wide range
of nutraceuticals, as well as in functional
foods, either alone or in combination with
other substances to create “all-round” fertili­
For more information, please contact:
Peter Lambrechts
Business Development Manager
Functional Food Ingredients Division
Kaneka Pharma Europe N.V.
Triomflaan 173
1160 Brussels
Belgium
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.kanekaQH.info
www.ubiquinol.org
June 2013 – Wellness Foods Europe | 7